AIR PHOTO SURVEY OF COASTAL EROSION

A PROCEDURE TO UTILIZE EXISTING AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS TO CONDUCTS A SURVEY OF COASTAL EROSION IS EVALUATED. THE PROCEDURE CONSISTS OF SELECTING STABLE REFERENCE POINTS ON AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN IN DIFFERENT YEARS AND MEASURING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THESE POINTS AND POINTS ON THE TRANSIENT BEACH. THE MEASUREMENTS OBTAINED ARE MULTIPLIED BY THE SCALE OF THE AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS TO PRODUCE GROUND DISTANCES. THE DIFFERENCES IN GROUND DISTANCES DETERMINED FROM AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN WITH SEVERAL YEARS OF TIME LAPSE REPRESENT THE CHANGE IN LOCATION OF THE BEACH OVER THE PERIOD OF THE TIME LAPSE. THE AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHIC APPROACH HAS SEVERAL IMPORTANT ADVANTAGES AS WELL AS LIMITATIONS. ILLUSTRATIONS ARE INCLUDED OF THE TYPE OF EROSION DATA OBTAINED IN A SURVEY OF COASTAL EROSION ALONG THE 330 MILES OF NORTH CAROLINA COAST. /AUTHOR/